At Scotty's, we aim to provide relief from the effects of grief for bereaved military children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Forces.
The charity provides its beneficiaries with support and guidance throughout their childhood and offers a respite, however brief, from the daily ups and downs of coping with the loss of a parent.
Assistance is available to families from the British Army, Royal Navy or RAF and includes both Regular and Reserve forces. You can view our membership criteria here.
Scotty's services are delivered through four family Programmes: SMILES, SUPPORT, STRIDES and SPRINGBOARD.
The SMILES programme is all about fun and engagement for bereaved British Forces children and young people. It includes activities, gifts and group events, which have the purpose of making bereaved Forces children and young people smile again and reminds them they aren’t alone and are part of a supportive community.
The SUPPORT programme looks after the emotional health and wellbeing of the bereaved military children and young people we support. It includes information and guidance on childhood bereavement for parents and carers, and 1:1 professional bereavement support for children and young people.
The STRIDES programme focuses on the education and development needs of bereaved Forces children and young people. This includes promoting a positive attitude to learning and providing opportunities to develop life skills. It also includes a range of small educational grants.
The SPRINGBOARD programme provides support to young adults ages 18-25 who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the Armed Forces. It assists with opportunities to develop their education and learning, build a career and enhance life skills.
If you know a child or young person who has experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces, they could be eligible for specialist bereavement support from Scotty's Little Soldiers. Hundreds of bereaved military children aren’t getting the support they need but we are here to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scotty’s Little Soldiers provides support to children and young people aged between 0-25 who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
Absolutely not, the charity supports ALL bereaved British Armed Forces children who have lost a parent.
The Reserves are still a part of our Armed Forces so the same applies to children who have lost a parent serving with Reserve Forces.
No. Scotty’s provides support to the children. Whether their parents were married or not and their financial status is irrelevant to the support we offer.
Of course, in fact we encourage our beneficiaries to access as much help and support as they can. We’ll even recommend other charities we’ve had good feedback on and we work closely with many charities to ensure our beneficiaries receive the best support available.
No. You can be as involved as much or as little as you like. Everything is optional. If you would like to just have a holiday break by yourselves and not attend any group events that’s absolutely fine. If you would like to access the grants but not receive any gifts that’s also fine. We have an exclusive website which allows our families to select what activities and support they would like to receive.
We make joining Scotty’s as easy as possible. Of course there is a little bit of paper work involved. You can download our simple membership form from this website and take a look but it’s just basic personal details. We have to check a few things with the MOD to confirm death in service but other than that it’s pretty straightforward. We don’t require any financial information and there is no cost involved in becoming a Scotty Member.
No, the type of death is irrelevant; Scotty’s supports all young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served.
No. Scotty’s provides support to the child. Your marital status is irrelevant.
Scotty’s is a hub for bereaved Service families providing a real sense of community.
It is a great way of meeting other families who have also experienced the death of a parent and the children and young people to know they are not alone but there is never any pressure. Scotty’s is very much about helping our members (0-18) and Springboarders (18-25) to thrive and experience the best opportunities in life. At Scotty’s we know that children and young people are affected by their grief at different stages throughout their lives so we recommend joining the charity so you know the support is there should your family ever need it in the future.
The families team will carry out a few checks to make sure your circumstances fit the criteria. Once approved, you will receive an email from the team and your child/ren will receive membership packs through the post.
From here on, you will receive weekly emails on a Monday at 8pm to provide you with all the latest news from the charity. It’s a great way of keeping up to date and making sure you don’t miss out on any important news, competitions or exciting opportunities. You will have access to the Families Zone, which is a private online website where you can book a respite breaks, sign up for group events, enter ballots and competitions, apply for grants and much more. Our families always have a choice so you can even select to opt out of activities if you don’t feel they suit the needs of your family.